Page 67 of Toxic

"It's my side of the deal."

He smirks. "Sorry. Already agreed."

"Well, I'm stating my side of the deal."

He leans into my ear while sliding his hand between my thighs. My face heats as he declares, "I've already claimed you, Bridge. And no matter who wins, we're staying the night together. In fact, I already have the key to the room at the Ritz." He squeezes my pussy, and I squirm into his hand.

I roll my eyes. "You're so arrogant."

"Yep."

"What makes you think I'd pick the Ritz?"

His lips hit my neck under my ear, inflaming the heat filling my cheeks. "You got away with it last time."

I pull back. "What?"

His jaw clenches. "You don't want anyone to know about us. We went there, and no one knew."

"Except my driver, which pretty much means my father knows," I blurt out.

Dante nods. "Which is why you shouldn't have left. I would have taken you home."

I huff. "That's not a better idea."

"Sure it is."

"No, it's not."

He fists my hair and tugs on my head. His face hovers over mine, and I inhale sharply. "I'm going to repeat this, and you need to listen closely. I know how to protect you. I will always protect you. And tomorrow, I'm dropping you off at your house. Do you understand?"

"And you don't think my children and father are going to know what we were doing? You've really lost the plot, now." I snicker then take another drink.

"Tell your father about us."

"No way."

Dante sniffs hard. "Why? What are you worried about?"

I focus on my whiskey and swirl it in the glass, admitting, "The last thing I need is to give my father ideas about us when I'm not even sure what we're doing."

Dante grabs my chin and forces me to look at him. Darkness swirls in his eyes, creating more flutters in my belly. In a confident voice, he says, "We're finally starting our life together. That's what we're doing."

I freeze, not breathing, as a mix of emotions bombard me. This past week, no matter how hard I tried, I've not been able to forget about Dante and what it felt like to be with him. I've almost convinced myself that it's okay if we have a sexual relationship. But a life with him isn't something I've allowed myself to contemplate, nor is it something I would ever expect him to say or want. After all, he's the unattainable bachelor every woman in New York wants to tame. And I know too well he'll eventually get bored.

There is no taming Dante Marino. Plus, I'm not a stupid girl anymore who believes in fairy tales.

"Why are you looking at me like that, dolcezza?" he asks.

"Don't say things to me that don't bear truths."

He slowly licks his lips, studying me. "I thought I've been clear about my feelings for you."

"Sexual feelings are one thing. A life is something else."

"You think this is just about sex?"

"Of course it is."

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